Blood and Migraines
by Alice Bekett
Summary: "I doubt this will be of any concern to the rest of you, but I suffer from chronic shoulder and back pain, chronic headaches and migraines. I have shite eyesight, and my left arm aches from when I broke it when I was fourteen. My blood type is O. Is there anything else?"
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I just recently fell pretty hard into the SGU fandom after binge-watching the show. For whatever reason, I connected pretty hard to Rush. This is a bit of an angst fest, and good portions of this were written past 2AM. So, let me know if you notice big mistakes.

Sadly, I don't own Stargate Universe, because if I did, the show would still be running. It ended too soon, and it was brilliant. At least they left it at a spot where it can be picked up later.

This takes place pretty early on in the series, by the way.

(LINE BREAK)

Eli sat at one of the core room control panels, watching as line after line of code scrolled by on the screen. Rush had set him to look out for patterns, something, so they could try to decode the instructions of the ship, and begin working out the various systems.

Rush sat hunched over another panel, staring at the screen in front of him, writing in one of the notepads he always carried with him. Rush had been there when Eli arrived, and he hadn't moved much since, just to walk around the panels, examine Eli's work, then sit again.

Eli, not for the first time, wondered _how_ Rush kept himself like that for so long. Eli knew what sitting hunched over for long periods of time would do to someone's shoulders, back, and neck, and Eli himself had to get up and move every few hours. That, and bathroom breaks and going to the mess hall for his rations, kept Eli sane.

Eli's neck twinged, and he sat straight, stretching out his back, neck, and shoulder, wincing as the tense muscles moved from their previous positions. Looking over the consoles, Rush was still in the same position, but something dark was on his upper lip, stemming from his nose. Eli couldn't see in the dimmed lighting, but it looked awfully like-

A drop of it fell from Rush's lip, jerking the man from his thoughts and, sending him almost backwards off the stool, " _Shit!_ " He slipped off the stool, and bent at the waist, pinching his nose shut with his fingers.

"What's wrong?" Eli asked, standing up and shuffling over. Now closer, he could see that Rush was suffering from what seemed to be, a massive nosebleed, "Oh god-"

"'M fine, Eli," Rush's voice was slurred behind his hand, "Nosebleed. Happens sometimes."

"Jesus. Y-you sure? I have never seen a nosebleed like this before."

Rush's eyes glared at Eli, "I'll be _fine_ , Eli."

Eli sighed, noting the blood that was still streaming onto the floor, "I've gotta call TJ," he pressed the communications button on Rush's radio, "TJ-"

"I'm fine, Eli!"

"We need medical attention in the core room. Um, bring lots of gauze or a bedpan..."

"I'm on my way!"

"Damnit, Eli!" Rush growled, sitting down, his back to the console, careful not to touch anything with his bloodstained hands, "I've suffered from these my entire life! I've been fine every time-"

"Yeah, well, it's not as if there's a hospital two blocks away, is there?" Eli retorted, "If you die-"

" _I'm not going to die!_ "

"Who said you were-Jesus, Rush. What happened?"

A groan of exasperation escaped Rush as Colonel Young entered the room, "I'm fine! It'll pass soon enough-"

"You're losing a lot of blood-"

"Y'think I don' know that?" Rush growled, his accent thickening. He glared in turns at both Eli and Young, "I've always had nosebleeds. I'll be fine in a few minutes. You should get back to work in the meantime," Rush glared pointedly at Eli with the last statement.

TJ came into the room, hauling her bag of medical supplies, pausing only briefly to pull out a bedpan "Really? Who punched you now?"

"Life, it seems," Rush replied scathingly, "I've had these since I was a boy. I've been dragged to every _bloody doctor_ too many times. They've run tests, done blood work-ups. I'm fine!"

TJ pressed the plastic bedpan into his hands, and Rush held it gratefully under his chin, "I'll be the judge of that. The blood has have to come from somewhere."

"Do you honestly think you'll find it if every doctor in Glasgow couldn't? And half the ones in Berkeley? I went to oncologists, neurologists-"

"I get it!" TJ snapped, her lips pulled into a taught line, "I still have to check-"

"The blood flow is already starting to slow down, Lieutenant. Just like always-"

"Why didn't you tell me you suffered from these nosebleeds? You've just lost a lot of blood, and I don't even know your blood type! This could happen at a really bad time-"

"They generally tend to," Rush said gruffly, "Life tends to work that way."

"Is there anything else TJ should be made aware of, Rush?" Young demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

Rush was quiet for a moment, staring down into the bedpan. Eventually, he sighed, "I doubt this will be of any concern to the rest of you, but I suffer from chronic shoulder and back pain, chronic headaches and migraines. I have shite eyesight, and my left arm aches from when I broke it when I was fourteen. My blood type is O+. Is there _anything_ else?"

"No. That's good. I'm still going to have to drag you to the infirmary to check you out."

"Of course," Rush rolled his eyes, trying to flick his hair from his face without touching it, "Eli, keep an eye on my program, and if something happens-"

"I'll let you know."

Rush sighed, checking his nose, "The bleeding's stopped-"

"Doesn't matter," T J interjected, "C'mon. Sooner you leave, sooner you get back to work."

Rush growled something under his breath, and leveraged himself to his feet, swaying a little at the sudden change in height. Young offered a steadying hand, which Rush slapped away. Still grumbling, he followed TJ from the room, still muttering under his breath.

Eli sighed, "Well...that explains why he's always rubbing at his neck or at his head."

"And why he's so pissed off all the time," Young agreed, "Good work, Eli."

Eli nodded, smiling weakly. He turned his attention to Rush's panel, sat down, and watched as the diagnostics program ran through what systems they had at their disposal.

(LINE BREAK)

TJ had told Becker that Rush needed more rations that day, then sent Rush to the mess, with explicit orders to everyone on the ship that if they didn't see Rush in the mess at least once, that they would force Rush to the mess and make him eat something.

TJ was currently washing the various medical tools she'd used during the day, including the bedpan that held Rush's blood. Good news was, was that Rush wasn't in danger of dying because of something wrong in his head, and TJ now had a full physical of the stubborn man. Bad news, was that the scientist was underweight and overstressed: and had clearly been so even before boarding _Destiny_. What he had told her, as far as she could tell, was true. With the addition that he had dental problems, which TJ felt she should have noticed anyway, with the gold teeth. TJ couldn't really find anything else wrong, other than what could be attributed to his age. He wasn't the most healthy person on the ship, but Rush certainly wasn't the most unhealthy, either. That fact surprised TJ quite a bit, as Rush had been known for his exuberant coffee habit, and he had smoked, before the _Destiny_.

TJ was pleased though, that meant their best chance of survival would hopefully be around for a while.

"Hey, TJ," Young's unique voice snapped TJ from her thoughts, making her jump and turn towards the door, "How was Rush?"

"Stubborn. But I got a physical out of him, which is good. He's not the most healthy person here, but considering his age and his bad habits, he's not the most unhealth-"

"That's great, TJ," Young interrupted, "Did you find anything?"

"He seems to be telling the truth. After he cleaned himself up, I couldn't find any reason as to why that happened. I'll have to ask for his medical records the next time I use the communication stones, but I have to do that with everyone anyway."

Young nodded curtly, once, "Good. We don't want Rush dropping dead."

"That reminds me, sir. If you see Becker at the end of the day, and he says Rush hasn't been by the mess to eat-"

"Find Rush and make him eat something?" Young finished, smiling a little, "Yeah. Will do. Thanks, TJ."

TJ smiled, half nodding, "Thank you, sir. Now if you don't mind-"

"You've got work to do. So do I. I'll see you later."

Young turned on his heel and left, leaving TJ to her cleaning.

(LINE BREAK)

Rush dipped his spoon into the watery liquid that was meant to be his dinner, wondering briefly if he could pretend to eat and make a getaway before anyone noticed. Then, Brody sat across from him, his dark eyes holding a bit of malice. Rush mentally sighed, and lifted his spoon to his mouth, trying not to grimace at the horrible taste.

Brody was eating, and either he was very hungry or he had somewhere to be with how fast he was shoveling the goop down, and drinking occasionally from his cup of water. Rush sighed through his nose, and took another few spoonfuls of 'food'.

"I hear Becker's trying to work out more flavour ranges," Brody offered cautiously.

"Oh yes. We'll get to choose from the sour, rancid flavour, the vanilla yogurt flavour, or another disgusting possibility that hasn't come about yet. How enthralling. I cannae wait," Rush muttered back, grimacing down into his mostly full bowl.

Brody shrugged, "At least he's trying. Do you think the next time we drop out of FTL that we'll get some food from the planets nearby?"

Rush shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. _Destiny_ is trying, but I cannae tell her about our palate ranges."

Brody nodded, "Damn shame. I'd kill for a cup of something that isn't water or that horrible tea prototype thing that they've been working on."

Rush returned to playing with his food, "Not an option right now, sadly. We'll survive, Mr. Brody, even if we have to stomach this shite for the foreseeable future."

Brody nodded slowly, scraping the last of the liquid from the bowl, "Try eating it all at once-"

"Did try," Rush muttered, "Didn't help," _In fact, it made me quite ill, but you don't need to know that._

Brody offered a sympathetic, crooked smile, "Yeah well. See you later."

Rush watched out of the corner of his eye, through his hair, as Brody put his dishes with the dirty ones and left. _It's a bloody miracle: the man can actually hold a conversation with me without stating his hatred for me in some way._

"Wow, that might have been the most nice conversation I've seen you hold with someone."

Rush's eyes snapped up to see Camille Wray sit down in the spot that Brody had just vacated. Rush's heart sunk, and he had to stop himself from giving up and storming from the room altogether. He stirred his gloop, and glared through his bangs at the woman, "Can I help you?"

A small shake of the head, "I'm head of HR. Just want to check in with everyone, see how we're doing."

"I'm _fine_ , thank you," Rush growled, eating a few bites of the liquid in rapid succession before the taste made his eyes begin to water. He took a drink of his water.

"I never insinuated you weren't."

Rush ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face, "I'm not stupid, Ms. Wray. I know you took psychology. I'm not falling for your little tricks."

Wray had the gall to look shocked. Rush felt his lips twitch into a smirk. He looked down at his bowl, his heart almost falling through the floor as he spied it. _Damn. Quarter bowl left. Fuck._

"Well, you're clearly fine," Wray said forcefully. Rush could almost feel the need the woman felt to rip out his eyeballs, or something similarly violent, and had to stop himself from laughing. Wray, using Brody's method of eating, was quickly done. A small glint of glee appeared in her eyes as she spied Rush's bowl, "I hope you enjoy your meal."

Rush suddenly felt the need to gauge out her eyes with his spoon. He was a quick learner, and while he was light, he was sure he could take the woman-

Rush shook his head, rubbing his forehead. That wouldn't do any good. Everyone hated him enough already without him killing someone. He braved a few more mouthfuls of the liquid before his stomach tried to revolt. Alarms rang in Rush's mind as he held himself rigid, using his indomitable focus and willpower to stop himself from puking. After a few moments, the impulse died, and Rush allowed himself to relax a little, chugging a few mouthfuls of water to wash away the foul tastes commingling on his tongue.

Rush mentally threw caution into the wind, dropping the spoon onto the table, lifting the bowl to his mouth and chugging the last few mouthfuls. He set the bowl down, pressing one hand to cover his mouth, his eyes watering at the horrible taste. The urge to vomit came again, and Rush struggled with it for a few minutes, his body as tense and unmoving as a steel bar. After it faded, he drank the last of his water, and almost threw his dishes into the pile on the way out.

Rush couldn't help but feel mildly victorious. He'd eaten, and conversed with two people, all without serious physical damage to himself. Rush reminded himself that as much as he hated the fake vanilla slop, it was better than the sour, rancid version. Rush's stomach still complained, and Rush couldn't blame it for being unwilling to accept the disgusting slop. However, it was all that was there, and Rush really didn't want to collapse in front of anyone again if he could help it.

Rush's radio crackled to life, "Rush, come in."

"Yes, Eli?"

"Uh, your program is done. A bunch of red stuff is flashing, but no alarms are going off-"

"I'll be right there. Don't touch anything."

"I wasn't planning-"

"Rush out," Rush shoved the radio back into a pocket, gleefully imagining the look of annoyance crossing over Eli's face.

Rush increased his pace, quickly getting to the core room, finding Eli sitting by his console and working on his problems again. Rush said nothing to the younger man, even though Eli looked like he wanted to say anything. Rush sat at his console, and began to look over the results of his program.

(LINE BREAK)

Rush suddenly sat up from his hunched over position, one hand going to his temple, before his eyes shifted over to Eli, then shifted back to his screen. Eli noticed, but said nothing, returning to his work. Rush got up from his spot, swaying a little. He walked over to Eli, staring at the panel and began to speak in rapid fire, like he often did when he noticed something.

Eli could only understand one word out of ten, and even then, most of them didn't make sense. Rush must have noticed, slowed down, and tried again. His accent had thickened, usually it didn't pose a problem, but Eli still couldn't understand. The confusion must have shown on his face because Rush stopped, bringing a shaking hand to his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. A sigh, and Rush tried once more.

This time, the words came out in a garbled mix of what sounded like French, Ancient, whatever he'd been speaking before, and Latin. Eli couldn't understand anything, and couldn't even be sure if Rush was speaking more than just those languages, and that worried him. Rush had never been like this, and judging by the frustration building on his face, he wasn't meaning to eb either.

"Want me to call TJ?" Eli asked, interrupting Rush mid gibberish.

Rush shook his head, swaying a little at the frantic motion. His face pinched with pain, and he licked his lips. Very slowly, he said, "I'm going to my quarters. Only get me if it's a real crisis," with that, Rush practically fled from the room, leaving a very confused Eli.

Eli reached for the radio, after he was sure Rush was out of range, "Uh. TJ, we have another problem."

(LINE BREAK)

Rush's mind was slowly tearing itself apart. Rush knew the symptoms, knew the migraine would be coming, and soon. Swallowing dryly, Rush practically punched the button to his room, and entered it, shutting it almost as forcefully. He grabbed the little plastic bin he'd been using as a garbage can, and set it beside the right side of the bed, where he usually slept. He then tested the lights, checking to see how dark the room could get.

Lastly, Rush shed his shoes and socks, and his vest and t shirt. He grabbed a piece of chalk from his bag, and began to write everything down, on his walls, not caring or noticing the discrepancies in the flow of languages he was using. He had tried to work through problems in this stage of a migraine headache before, and his addled brain had helped him on several occasions. Rush had to get through the problem as soon as possible, he didn't have much time before the attack phase began. As it was, pressure was beginning to build just above his eyes, in what felt to be the sinus cavities-

Rush ran out of that section of the wall. He fell to his knees, continuing quickly, trying to do something, anything, while he still could. The migraine could last hours, or days, and he didn't know what could happen in the near future-

A knock, and Rush stopped, chalk hovering between himself and the lowest portion of the wall. He shook himself, and continued, eyes watering, and not entirely certain what he was writing anymore. Gloria knew better than to disturb him when he was like this-

"Rush!"

Once again, chalk hovered in free space. Rush was on his bare feet, writing on the next portion of wall. With a sudden, stabbing pain, Rush found himself on the floor. Eyes watering, and the pain only intensifying the longer the lights were on. Keeping low to the ground, gritting his teeth, Rush weakly crawled to his bed, wrapping his arms over his head as best he could, and turning off the blinding lights as much as he could. _Go 'way. Can't_ -

The door opened, with a rush of sound and light that made Rush's stomach churn. He felt himself tense further, and the pain only increased, traveling from his head, down to his jaw and neck, the throbbing beating in time with his heart.

"Rush," the voice made Rush whimper, and curl even further inwards. The background noises of the ship itself were bad enough, now someone wanted to _talk_ to him? Oh cruel world-

"Rush-"

" _Stop,"_ he felt himself whimper, his voice already hoarse and broken sounding. Had it been minutes since the symptoms started? Hours? "Jus' sto'" Did that make sense? Had he said it in English? Had it made sense at all-

"Colonel, I think he's suffering from a migraine," the voice whispered, calm and low, "Judging from the kino footage and what I'm seeing now."

"Anything you can do?" This voice was louder than the closer one, even though it sounded further away.

Rush's stomach lurched, and he leaned over the edge of the bed, puking the white goop he'd eaten earlier up.

"Sorry," the calm voice murmured, "We'll leave you. Don't hesitate to call for help. I'll be back later."

A hand laid itself on Rush's shoulder, and he jerked away from it, puking once more into the container. The nausea subsided slightly, and Rush gently rested his head against the pillow once more, keeping his eyes shut tightly. Wasn't sure what would happen, but didn't _feel_ right to open-

A whooshing sound that had Rush leaning into the pail again, then nothing. Just the sounds of the ship, and they could be counted upon to be the same for the most part. In the darkness, Rush cracked an eye open, only to see that his vision in that eye was completely blacked out. A sigh, and Rush shut it again. No point, no point.

Rush himself wasn't fully with his body by the time he fell into a light, fitful doze.

(LINE BREAK)

"What the _hell_ happened?" Eli demanded, using his arms to convey frustration in big, general movements, "Honestly, he wasn't making any sense at all-"

"Eli, it happens sometimes with people who have migraines. Their brains know something is wrong before the pain starts, and some wires get crossed. You should have seen the writing on his walls, Eli. I couldn't understand anything that was up there, could barely make out the occasional word or number, much less make any sense of it," TJ responded quietly, sipping on her water, "Sometimes the language center is affected, and from the footage you got, Rush knows a lot more languages than the rest of us expected."

"But he was fine before."

TJ shrugged, "No one really knows what causes migraines. I can't tell you when he'll be back to normal, either. Could be a few hours, could be a few days, or sometimes longer."

Eli ran a hand through his short hair, scratching at the back of his neck, "Damn."

"Don't worry, Eli. I'm going to do my best and make sure he won't have a stroke, or die, during this. If his condition changes, I'll let you know. Okay?"

Eli nodded, "Yeah. How has he not had one before now?"

"He could have, during his mental breakdown a while back," T J admitted, "Could have slept through the worst of it after he collapsed."

Eli nodded, "Thank goodness you got that physical, huh."

TJ nodded, "Yeah, just in time. Go get some sleep. It's been a long day," a soft, playful smile, "Medic's orders."

"Yes, ma'am," Eli responded smartly, "Have a good night."

"You too," TJ called after the young man, sighing in relief when he was out of ear shot. She rubbed her forehead, remembering the look of pure agony etched into Rush's features. Looking briefly towards the ceiling, TJ hoped that _Destiny_ could keep herself together for a few days. TJ wasn't sure Rush would be on his feet for a while.

(LINE BREAK)

Rush was forcibly woken by the sounds of the door opening. His stomach roiled, but Rush knew he had to stay still, that moving would make it all worse, somehow. Pain radiated everywhere, all seeming to stem from his head, neck, and shoulders.

Part of him knew he needed to relax, but the pain ratcheted up his tension, making him tense up enough that his muscles were shaking, and aching, of their own accord.

 _How_ could be have forgotten about these? They hurt too much…and Gloria hadn't come to see him. Why? She always came in with hot soup, warm and cold compresses...things that made the pain bearable.

"Rush," a quiet murmur broke his stranded trains of thought.

He took a deep shuddering breath, "yes?"

"I've got some water for you. With a straw. Do you think you can drink something?"

" _yes,_ " Was that right? Was that English? Rush didn't even care.

A small straw was pressed to his lips, and Rush drank, pulling away when his unsettled stomach threatened to expel the water.

A cool hand pressed against its forehead, and Rush leaned into it. The nausea rose its ugly head, and Rush bit his lip, hard. He didn't want to puke all over Gloria. He'd done it once, and she'd returned the favour during chemo-

"Rush. Can you open your eyes?"

Rush couldn't help but whimper, "no."

"Why not?"

"hurt," Rush whispered, "vision loss."

"Could you not see earlier?" The voice was full of concern. How nice.

"left...eye," The pounding in Rush's head increased, forcing a hiss through clenched teeth.

"Okay," the voice was barely audible, using low tones of voice. Rush felt beyond grateful; high-pitched noises would likely make his head explode, "Okay. Do you want anything? Blankets, food, more water?"

"Blanket?" Rush whimpered. If he could get more comfortable, maybe sleep would be a possibility-

Rush felt a smooth, warm, alien blanket being draped over his small frame, and being tucked in around him, "There. Better?"

A small noise of confirmation, and the hand brushed his hair out of his eyes, "There we go. I'm leaving the water on your beside table, okay? I'll be back later."

Rush did his best to begin concentrating on relaxing his tensed muscles, hoping that his body heat would help now he had a blanket to trap it in. The door opened, and shut, and Rush was once again, left alone. He relaxed himself as best as he could, and his brain finally gave up the battle for consciousness.

(LINE BREAK)

Rush woke the next time, the events of the last times he woke flooding his faintly throbbing head. He groaned, bringing a shaking hand to his forehead, rubbing at his eyes. Exhaustion tugged at him, but Rush had to know how long he'd been out, what was going on-

The door opened, and Rush jumped back, flinging himself off the bed, and falling to the floor. He groaned, gently resting his head against the floor, "What?" he growled.

"Oh! You're awake," TJ's voice was full of concern and surprise.

"I donnae wanna be," Rush growled, draping one arm over his eyes, "Go 'way."

"Rush, I have to check you out."

"Do it later, after I've-"

"No, Rush. Now."

"At least shut the bloody door."

The door shut, and Rush picked himself up, his muscles shaking from the tension that he'd been channeling through them. Rush sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing at his temples with both hands. He felt weak, and sluggish, and-

"Rush, I need you to look at me."

Rush lifted his tired eyes to meet TJ's blue ones. TJ looked genuinely concerned, but that was her job. She hefted her medical bag onto the bed, and pulled out the blood pressure cuff, thermometer, stethoscope, and little flashlight.

TJ took his vitals, then hefted the flashlight with practiced fingers, "I have to check your eyes' reaction to-"

"Just get it over with," Rush muttered impatiently, "I've got a headache, not a tumour."

TJ nodded, shining the light into Rush's eyes, checking their reactions and movements. Rush winced back, and his eyes were watering by the time she was done, but his eyesight hadn't changed, and his eyes were reacting normally.

"Well, you seem fine. How are you feeling?"

"Like complete and utter shite," Rush replied, "But that's normal for a day or two after. How long was I out?"

"Almost two days. And before you ask, _Destiny_ hasn't fallen to pieces yet."

"That's good. How out of it was I before the pain phase hit?"

"You freaked Eli right out. He said he heard at least four different languages, but Volker said he could hear a few more. How many languages are you fluent in?"

"English, Gaelic, Weegie-that's the local dialect of Glasgow-, French, Ancient, Latin. I know some Italian and German, and I know a little Spanish."

"Can you write in these languages too?" TJ looked, and sounded, astonished.

"Yeah, for the most part. My written French is a little rusty, and I don't know how to write any Italian or Spanish."

"Wow."

Rush shrugged, "I was on scholarship. I made the most of what I could get my hands on. I always like language, and I had some free time-"

"How?" TJ interrupted.

"I didn't sleep much back then. Still don't, really."

"Insomnia?"

"Never diagnosed, but Gloria always assumed I had it."

TJ nodded, "Sorry. Not much I can do about it now."

Rush shrugged, "Dealt with it so far, I'll live."

"Well, there's not much I can do now the pain is gone. Just take it easy, and make sure you eat and drink some water."

Rush nodded, "Thank you...for checking on me like you did. Only Gloria ever..." he sighed, standing up, "Anyway. I've got work to do."

"I do to. Have a good day."

Rush nodded, turning his attention to the two sections of wall he'd written on. His headache threatened to increase in intensity just looking at it. Rush picked up his vest and t-shirt, slipping them on, and pulled on his shoes. He had to talk to Eli.

(LINE BREAK)

Author's Note: So, yeah. This happened. This will probably end up being a two-shot, or maybe more depending on plot-bunnies I get that hinge on this idea.

Please, let me know what you think in a PM or a review. I really enjoyed writing this.


	2. Chapter 2

Takes place during/shortly after "Space", episode 11.

(LINE BREAK)

Rush allowed Chloe to drop down from the alien ship first, hoping that whomever would be down there would be less likely to shoot her than him. Once he saw she was out of the way, Rush dropped through the hole as well, his legs buckling underneath him when he landed. He landed hard against the ship's bulkheads, knocking the breath out of him.

Greer stood, gun out, eyes wide, pointing the pistol directly at Rush, "Colonel Young said you were dead."

"Did he now?" Rush wheezed, "Did he happen to mention how?"

"Rockslide," Greer's face was taught with suspicion.

Rush pressed a hand to his forehead, "Well, obviously he was wrong again."

Greer lowered the gun, but still held in in his grip. He pressed the call button on the radio, "Colonel Young, get down here. You are not going to believe this. Bring TJ"

Rush stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily against the bulkhead, pushing his still wet bangs away from his face, "Don't suppose I could go find some clothes? I'm soaking wet and bloody freezing."

"You're not going anywhere until TJ checks you out, both of you," Greer shot a look to Scott who was still embracing Chloe like she was a lifeline.

"Course not," Rush rolled his eyes, "Cannae expect you t'- _Shit!_ Shite! Sonofa-" Rush pressed a hand to his nose, looked at it, and growled again.

"What's wrong?"

"Fuckin' nosebleed," Rush grunted, sitting back down and leaning forward, "Fuckin' hell. Damn things always fuckin' happen when I donnae need 'em-" Blood suddenly dripped from between his fingers, down to the floor.

"Jesus, Rush." Greer said, "Is this healthy?"

"Prob'ly not," Rush mumbled, "Don' really care at this point."

"Rush!?" TJ exclaimed, coming to a halt and kneeling beside Rush, pushing a bedpan into his hands, "You're alive?"

"Apparently," Rush muttered, "Thanks to Colonel Young. He traded places with an alien?"

"Yeah. With the stones. Why couldn't he connect back?"

"Had to kill it," Rush admitted slowly, avoiding eye contact with anyone, "It-It attacked me."

"Of course. Is this one of your usual nosebleeds, or?"

"Didnae get hit in the face, if that's what you're asking. Not many people aim for my nose."

TJ smirked, "I guess not. Can you stand? I have to look at you and Chloe-"

"Rush!" Colonel Young appeared, striding over quickly, his heavy footfalls echoing in the corridor.

"Colonel," Rush replied curtly, his eyes narrowing a little, "Good to know it wasn't you that attacked me."

Young nodded, "Yeah. About the planet-"

"Don't worry. You couldn't have known I was alive through the rock slide."

Young looked surprised, but nodded, "Yes...I still regret leaving you."

Rush touched his upper lip with shaking fingers, "The bleeding has stopped. That was short."

"Yeah, a lot shorter than your last one. C'mon. I'm taking you both to the infirmary. Greer, do you mind going to Rush's quarters and getting his clothes? Scott, could you get Chloe's?"

"Yes, ma'am," Greer responded softly. Scott nodded, embracing Chloe once more before he left.

"Can you stand?"

"Hopefully," Rush grunted, setting the bedpan down. Using the bulkhead, he leveraged himself to his feet, wincing as he did so.

"You alright?"

"Nothin' to worry about. I'm fine."

"You would be dead for three months and still insist you're fine," TJ asserted.

Rush let out a strangled half giggle, "That's true. Now, let's go."

TJ shared a look with Young, whose eyes were dark with something TJ wasn't sure she was reading right. She lead the way to the infirmary, noting that while Chloe seemed fine, Rush was...off. Other than the blood coating the lower half of his face, he looked alright, but his behaviour was strange.

"Go sit down over there, Chloe. I'm going to examine Rush first."

Chloe nodded, moving to sit on one of the alien beds, perching on the edge uncomfortably. TJ wheeled over her tray of instruments, and smiled warmly at Rush.

"So, you're alive."

"Tha's a surprise, innit?" Rush asked holding out his arm as TJ examined the skin-tight material that made up his outfit. His accent had thickened once more, and TJ wondered if the man was as alright as he claimed.

"Yes it is. A welcome one. The scientists have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off the entire time you've been...gone."

Rush let out a snort of amusement, "Why am I not surprised? Bloody morons."

"Do you remember what happened?" TJ asked, "what the aliens did?"

Rush hesitated, his eyes flicking to Chloe before they rested on TJ again, "I-I was dying when they found me. I didn't have any water or food. I'd managed to turn on some systems on the wreck. I'd hoped...someone could see, find me. Or that I could get it goin' and return here. I must have activated a signal of some sort..." Rush trailed off, but brought a still shaking hand to his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut, "I-I remember them...probing my head. They wanted information, wanted to know about us, about _Destiny_ -" Rush cut himself off, "I don't remember much."

That was clearly a lie, but TJ let it slide. She would ask Rush again later, no point in trying to force it out of him yet.

Just then, Scott and Greer came back with clothes. Rush took them gratefully, as did Chloe.

"Don't suppose I can change before we really get started?" Rush asked hopefully, "I'm still freezing."

"Me too?" Chloe added hopefully.

"Of course." TJ pointed behind to a small closet, "Chloe, you change there. Be careful not to touch anyrhing. Rush, you can change in the lab there."

Rush nodded, hopping down off the table, and swaying for a moment before he regained his balance. He took the clothes, and disappeared, returning a few minutes later, shaking, but dressed in his more familiar clothes.

TJ smiled, "Ready? I'm going to have to take your vitals-"

"Jus' get on with it," Rush replied, holding out his arm once more, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "I-I think a migraine is on it's way. Don' wanna be here."

"How do you know?" TJ asked, strapping the cuff to his arm and beginning to pressurize it.

"Eyesight is beginning to fade in and out," Rush admitted slowly, "Left eye. I'm really havin' t' concentrate on language righ' now."

TJ nodded, beginning to move quicker, "Alright. I'll do my best. If it gets worse, do you want me to move you to your room?"

"No. Movement makes it infinitely worse," Rush squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing.

"Do you know what triggered it?"

"Stress? Malnutrition? Dehydration? Getting _fuckin' abducted_ by aliens?" Rush returned acerbically.

TJ bit her lip, but continued on, "Anything I need to know about the migraine?"

"You'll need a bucket, or bedpan. I-I don't remember eatin', but even if they gave me liquids I'm liable to puke it up. Don't move me, keep me in the dark, even if you have to tie a rag around my eyes to do it. Keep it quiet. High pitched sounds are...excruciating."

"From how I saw you last time, I'm going to have to get Greer to get a cot in here; like one of the ones in the quarters, but smaller. These beds are too small for you to curl up."

Rush nodded weakly, "Yeah."

TJ finished her examination, "Well-"

Rush's face pinched, drained of all colour, and he pressed both hands forcefully onto his forehead, a small sound of excruciating pain escaping him. TJ sighed, gently forced the man into a reclined position, and motioned for Chloe to stay where she was.

TJ moved into the corridor, and activated her radio, "Greer, I need you to bring a cot from one of the smaller rooms to the infirmary. Be quick, and be quiet when you get here."

"Yes, ma'am."

When TJ returned into the room, Chloe was staring at Rush with a look of horror clearly written across her features, "Is he okay?" she whispered.

"No. Migraine headache. He suffers from them periodically," TJ cast a glance to Rush, who was as curled up as he was going to get on the hard, unyielding bed, his arms thrown protectively over his eyes and head.

A few minutes later, Greer and Scott appeared, carrying a cot in between them. TJ directed them to a corner of the room that wasn't occupied by equipment. The sharp, metallic, _squeak_ that was produced set TJ's teeth on edge. Rush let out a pathetic whimper, his already tense muscles becoming more so, shaking slightly.

"Can you help me get him to the cot? We'll have to go slow, and gentle. His migraines are extremely intense."

Greer nodded, and waited as TJ informed Rush as to what they were doing. Rush nodded, licking his lips, "ok."

"I've got your feet, Greer has your shoulders. Try not to move."

Rush set his arms across his chest, clenching his shirt to keep his arms from moving. As promised, the move was slow, but Rush was still in complete agony by the time they were done. TJ tucked a blanket around Rush's thin frame, and put a bucket on the floor close by. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

TJ checked Chloe out as best as was possible, noting only Chloe was shaken and nervous. Both understandable. TJ sent Chloe back with Scott, who had stayed to hear the prognosis of alien abduction.

Which only left Rush and TJ, and Rush didn't seem to be conscious anymore. His breathing had evened out, and he appeared to be more relaxed. TJ hoped that the migraine was only stress induced, or something similar. She really didn't want to explain to Young that something had happened to disable their only (seemingly) capable scientist.

(LINE BREAK)

Colonel Young had decided to wait two days before contacting Earth, to see if Rush was capable of making a report on his own. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Rush hadn't gotten any better, and TJ was honestly worried she was going to lose him.

Young had also hoped, that when he used the communication stones, that he would have switched bodies with anyone but Telford. Wrong again, for when he looked into the computer monitor, he saw Telford's face stare back.

His heart sank to his feet, but he was here, he had to report, and Telford would learn what happened sooner or later anyway. Young tried to push the niggling feeling in the back of his head that this was going to end in disaster, and got himself ready for the day.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, TJ was trying to coax some water into Rush, his dry skin and cracked lips pointing out that he was dehydrated. While he wasn't getting any worse, now that he was hooked up to an IV of saline solution, mixed with vitamins and other nutrients, that didn't mean he shouldn't drink anything. Rush carefully swallowed a few mouthfuls, his brown eyes shut against the glare of the lights.

"How are you feeling?"

A small, hoarse whimper. Rush shook his head once, slowly.

TJ brushed his hair away from his face, "It's okay. Your tea should be done soon. Hopefully those herbs will either help with the pain or knock you out for a while."

Rush nodded, a shuddering sigh escaping him as he tensed again, clearly riding out a sudden spike in the pain levels.

TJ watched helplessly as Rush struggled, unable to do anything more than drape a warm compress over his eyes. TJ checked her watch, and found that enough time had elapsed for the tea to be ready. She put a straw in the warm liquid, and brought it over.

"Tea's done."

Rush pried one eye open, his left one, "vision...still gone."

TJ pressed the straw to his lips, "Drink, hopefully, when you wake up, you'll feel better."

Rush drank the majority of the tea, then gently shifted himself onto a position on his back, keeping his head tilted to one side. TJ watched as Rush slowly began to relax, fingers unclenching, and muscles relaxing fully for the first time in days.

Clearly, Rush was asleep. TJ sighed in relief, checking Rush's IV. She had hoped he wouldn't need it, but time had proven he did. Rush couldn't move, and as the pain radiated down to his neck and jaw, he had a hard time chewing and swallowing.

TJ moved away from Rush, and resumed taking inventory. She had promised Young a report three hours ago, but Rush had woken up, and had needed her-

"Lieutenant!"

TJ jumped, turning to the door, wondering why Young was yelling, he _knew_ Rush's situation-

Looking at Young, TJ realized she wasn't talking to the Colonel. Not Young, but Telford. TJ mentally kicked herself: Young was off to Earth to make a report on the goings on of the ship, to tell them Rush and Chloe were safe. Of course it had to be _Telford._

"Colonel, please-" TJ said softly, moving to block his entry.

"Where is he!?" Telford demanded.

TJ pressed her lips together disapprovingly, "He's currently suffering from an intense migraine-"

"A headache? That's it?"

"Migraines are extremely painful, sir. Please, I've just gotten him to fall asleep for the first time in days-"

"I have to talk to him-"

"With all due respect, sir, that can wait," TJ had to try very hard to keep her voice steady and quiet, "Rush will be back to his normal self soon enough, and with all he's been through, he deserves the same amount of respect you'd give anyone else!"

Telford glared down at TJ, and she had to remind herself that it was actually Telford and not Young. She would remain firm in this, because at the end of the day, Telford had no real power over her. His demands and orders were often disbanded the moment Young came back.

Telford grit his teeth, then nodded sharpy, "Fine. I expect to meet with you later," with that, he spun on his heel and left.

TJ sighed in relief, checking over her shoulder to find Rush hadn't stirred at all. TJ took a steadying breath, and began to take inventory, occasionally checking on Rush as she did so.

(LINE BREAK)

TJ made Rush drink more of the strong herbs that knocked him unconscious the first time. After that things became more...muddled than before, if that was even possible. He didn't know what day it was, didn't know how long this migraine had knocked him on his ass. Sometimes he couldn't even remember his own name.

Now though, he'd woken up, feeling utterly drained. Rush's vision had returned, and his head, neck, jaw, and shoulders were at a pain level that was normal to him. If he moved, his vision swam and his eyes throbbed, but Rush could think now.

TJ was nowhere to be seen or heard, but that really didn't bother Rush right now. He was beyond exhausted, even after being in bed for the last however long. The only problem was that his mouth was as dry as the Sahara, and even though he knew the IV hooked into his arm was supplying him with liquids, it didn't mean his mouth and throat didn't appreciate water.

Rush sighed, running a hand through his greasy, tangled hair, wincing at the feeling. Steeling himself, Rush slowly sat up, propping himself up with his arms, the limbs shaking with effort. He sat straight, leaning against the wall. His head spun, but he kept himself upright, riding the discomfort out.

Once Rush's head had settled, he pushed himself to his feet, dragging, and leaning on, the makeshift IV pole with him to the sink. Finding an empty, and clean, mug, Rush filled it up with water from the sink, downed it, then filled it up again.

Rush was holding himself up with nothing but his own willpower and fading physical strength. He filled the mug once more, then brought the mug back to his bed, his knees creaking when he sat back down.

Rush's head didn't protest the movement this time, which he was thankful for. Now he was awake, and thinking, his head would soon return to normal, even if the rest of his body wouldn't for a few days. He sipped his third mug of water, looking around the dimly lit infirmary, trying to see what had changed beyond the addition of his cot.

The lights were lit so dimly it was hard to see anything, especially without his glasses. Something he was admittedly grateful for, as he would suffer from photophobia for a while after this migraine. Something he'd dealt with before, and would work through as he'd always had.

Once Rush had drained the mug, he pulled himself to his feet once more, hunched over and squinting without his glasses, leaning on the IV pole. Exiting the infirmary, he slowly made his way to the mess hall. He was hungry, and he'd be damned if he waited for TJ to finally come back.

Becker was there, and looked just as surprised as the few other people in the room. He gave Rush a heaping bowl of the protein goop, some fruit they'd found, and some water, watching carefully as Rush sat down with a huff.

After some deliberation, Rush chose to go for the fruit first, as he assumed they'd picked it up on a planet while he was out. It was odd, between an apple and celery in terms of taste, but it was refreshing and didn't taste like shite.

Rush took a spoonful of the goop, half expecting some horrible new flavour that Becker had concocted. What he got instead was banana, so unexpected that Rush almost choked on it. He ate as quickly as he dared, not entirely trusting his tastebuds to accurately relay information to his brain.

Once he was finished, Rush dumped the dirty dishes, and went into his quarters, finding his radio. He turned it on, "Rush to Johansen."

Static crackled, "Rush! Where are you!? I need to disconnect you from the IV."

"In my quarters," Rush replied, "Didn't want to ruin the equipment by trying to take it out myself."

A pause, "On my way. Stay there."

Rush turned the radio off, and lay back on his bed. It was stupid, even more so once you considered how many aches and pains the hard mattress yielded, but he'd missed his bed. Even when he was puking up everything he'd ever eaten down in the infirmary, he'd missed his space.

Short minutes passed, and TJ came in, looking annoyed and relieved all at the same time. It was an odd expression, but Rush took comfort in the fact he could still elicit a response from her, even if the emotions could only really be found in her eyes and mouth.

"So, went for a walk?"

"Got some water, and some food," Rush corrected, sitting up, and holding out his tethered arm, "Ate all of it."

"See you still like dim lights."

Rush half-shrugged, "Photophobia. Happens with the big ones."

TJ nodded, "Especially how sensitive you are with light. The best I can tell you now is to keep eating and get lots of sleep. I'd tell you to take it easy, but you're not going to, so I'm not going to waste my breath."

Rush smirked, as TJ disconnected him, pressing a band-aid to where the needle had been. He twisted his head to each side, trying to stretch out the tense muscles in his neck, "How long was I out?"

"Four days," TJ replied, "almost five."

Rush let out a groan, "Of course, when there's so much t' do-"

"Do you remember anything?" TJ asked suddenly, "Of the last few days?"

"I remember you dropping that bedpan and swearing at it for a few minutes," a small smile tugged at the corners of Rush's mouth.

TJ offered a tentative smile, "Sorry about that. Anything else?"

"Colonel Young," Rush's brows furrowed for a moment, "yelling? At me? I don't remember."

"Not the Colonel. It was Telford."

Rush snorted, "Of course. Why am I not surprised?"

TJ snorted, "You and I both know the answer. Anyway, I should get back to work, and I'm sure there's some scientists you need to yell at."

Rush nodded, "Yes. God knows they've probably been running around with no idea about what to do."

"Don't be stupid," TJ warned, "You know where I'll be."

"Yeah," Rush replied, running a hand through his hair.

TJ offered a smile, then left Rush's room.

Rush sighed, put on his glasses, and made his way to the core control room.

(LINE BREAK)

Eli was more relieved than he cared to admit to see Rush up and moving, even if the other man didn't seem to have full control of his body yet, even though Rush had lost more weight, and even though Rush glared up at anyone who made the panels light up with bright lights or loud noises.

Eli wouldn't admit that he was relieved the scientists now had a purpose in their poking around of _Destiny's_ systems.

So, it came as a shock when Rush stopped mid-motion, his eyes going wide and face draining of all colour. His brows furrowed, his head tilted, and he muttered, "We're going to drop out of FTL."

Just as the sentence cleared Rush's mouth, the ship dropped from FTL, and Rush clutched at his temples, an odd, pained noise escaping him. A few seconds passed, then Rush straightened up, squinting through the dimmed lights.

"What the hell was that?" Brody demanded, his eyes wide.

"I-I don't know," Rush muttered, "The pressure in the ship...changed, just seconds before. How did I not notice before?"

"Maybe it's because your head is still tender," Park offered.

"Yeah!" Eli jumped on the hope Rush was alright, "We haven't dropped out of FTL right after one of your migraines before."

Rush nodded slowly, "Tha's true," Rush rubbed his forehead, then shook his head, "Get one of your kinos, Eli. Lets get a look at where _Destiny_ wants us to go."

Eli nodded, and left the control room. Rush followed shortly after, though instead of heading directly to the gate room, he took a more roundabout way. Once Rush was alone, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and concentrated hard on the sounds and sensations of the _Destiny._

The ship just felt different, and Rush couldn't begin to put that difference into words. Rush steeled himself for the lights of the gate room. In the ensuing hours of activity, Rush completely forgot about the incident.


End file.
